Meg McLaughlin, Counselor in Seattle, 98103

Meg McLaughlin. MA, LMHC

Profession(s):
Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, Psychotherapy
License Status:
I'm a licensed professional.
Primary License:
LMHC - LH 60108258

My Approach to Helping

I believe that life challenges at times may interrupt a person's ability to navigate life in ways that fit more with his or her preferences. My work is to collaborate with people to (re)discover knowledges that allow them to direct their lives according to their values and beliefs.

How Psychotherapy Can Help

Psychotherapy can be incredibly helpful to a person who is “stuck” in a problem-saturated story about her/his life. What I have learned in my work with people is that these problem-saturated stories are fairly persistent. Lived experiences that do not fit with the plot of the problem’s story most often are relegated to a non-storied, unspoken, or dismissed fluke. Along with fully understanding the influence of the problem story on a person’s life, finding and upgrading those experiences that do not fit with the problem becomes the foundation for new possibilities. Furthermore, exploring what it is that the person values, believes, and hopes, and connecting these to the problem exceptions, provides a sort of moral justification for promoting these experiences. In addition, connecting these exceptions to other exceptions and predicting future exceptions strengthens that foundation from which people may begin to create more preferred experiences in life. Also, finding allies outside of therapy who support the person’s desire for these preferred experiences will reinforce and further strengthen the person’s preferred experiences.

My View on the Purpose of Psychotherapy

The purpose of psychotherapy, in my opinion, is to assist people in creating the foundation to live a preferred life. This foundation may include exhuming past hurts to heal fractures in relationships; strengthening beliefs about self-efficacy or self-worth or self-confidence; re-connecting with forgotten skills or buried knowledges; and experimenting with new skills.

What I Love about Being a Psychotherapist

I absolutely love meeting people, learning about their lives, and collaborating on creative responses to difficult problems. I am passionate about my belief that all people may live their lives in ways that are rewarding and satisfying for them. In this respect, I am unwavering in my position of holding hope and co-researching strategies for countering life difficulties. I remember seeing Michael White work early in my career and witnessing the conversation he was having with a person overwhelmed by difficult problems. The problem had seemed to have kidnapped and trapped this person in a room without doors or window. Through Michael’s persistent, respectful, and engaging questioning, he seemed to draw a door in that trapped room from which the person could begin to explore other options. This is what I believe is my role in my practice and it sustains and nurtures me when my conversations with people help to create these new openings.

What I Usually Need to Know to Help

While it is critical that I have some background information about the problem or challenge that a person is facing, I find that my work benefits greatly by knowing about a person outside of the influence of the problem—e.g., what does she/he love to do for leisure? is there a particular music that is important? Quite often the seeds of change in the life of the problem are found in these areas.

My Guiding Ethical Principles

Respect and curiosity are my guiding principles. I suppose these may be summed up in Michael White’s saying: “The problem is the problem; the person is not the problem”. While I have particular skills and knowledges about mental health, each person I meet has expert skills and knowledges about their lives.

Important Factors for Choosing a Therapist

I think the most important factors in choosing a therapist is a sense of trust and some sense of belief that the work will be beneficial.

Theoretical Influences that Guide My Work

Narrative therapy is the major influence that guides my work with people who consult with me. This theory provides a foundation of respect and appreciation for the challenges and expertise that those consulting me possess. My work includes finding space between the person and the problem to explore the problem’s effects, history, allies, etc. and then to uncover possibilities for other, preferred life experiences.

The Duration and Frequency of Therapy

This is a good question and my response is that is depends on what the person consulting with me needs. I have met people who literally felt that one conversation with me allowed them to have a new relationship with a problem they were up against—this is unusual, however. Much more often, I meet with people on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis for a period of time, perhaps 3-6 months. Other times I meet with people on a regular weekly or bi-weekly basis for ongoing support. Therapy ends when the person consulting with me determines that they are ready to end it. However, even in the ending, oftentimes, people may come back for a brush-up.